A blog about a busy mom who homeschools her four children, juggles activities and housework, and still manages to find quality time to be a family.

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Happy Birthday to Emma!

Today Emma is four years old! I am finding it hard to believe I don't have any babies left....but when I said to her last night that I couldn't believe she was getting so big and wasn't my baby anymore, she looked up at me with those big blue eyes of hers and said solemnly, "I will always be your baby, Mama."

Four years ago right now I was on the screened porch at our house on Dolphin Way, on a cool rainy morning, almost ready to push. (I don't know the exact time it was, but since she was born with just two pushes it wasn't long!) Rachel was running between the dining room and the porch, checking on my progress and reporting back to our friend Amie, who was helping Julia and Ben make cards for their baby. By the time everyone got out to us, after Rachel reported that the baby was almost here, Emma had already made her grand entrance into the world. It is so odd to think that Julia is now as old as Rachel was that day, and that Emma is almost as old as Julia was that day! Things have changed so much in those four years.

And two years ago today, we moved into this house. We joked that it was the only birthday that Emma would get a house for her gift, but in fact, we were wrong! This morning when she woke up (extremely early for her, at 7:30! She was so excited it was her birthday, finally, that she just couldn't stay asleep) her gift was waiting for her in the living room---the Rose Petal Cottage play house! Matt set it up last night because I knew she'd want to play with it as soon as she saw it, and that there was no way for me to get it set up with all the other things I have to do today, preparing for the birthday party this afternoon. So we set everything up and covered it with a quilt instead of the traditional gift wrapping.

Was she amazed! We got her the cottage itself, which also comes with a stove. Grandma Barbara got her the sink and a comfortable lounge chair, and her sisters and brother together got her the table and chairs set (which is really two round ottoman-like seats and a tiny table with tablecloth.) She said, "I've always wanted my very own house!"

The idea of it is that you play with the two halves of the house open at an angle, like scenery in a play. The two pieces actually nest together for efficient storage. However, you can put it together if you want to have a "real" cottage. At first that's what Emma wanted to do. Once she was in it, she said, "This is a very tiny house!"

Ben's response: "Well, Emma, that's what it's like when you live alone!"

About Me

I am a homeschooling mom of four gorgeous kids, trying to enjoy every minute of time we have together--and keep my sanity intact at the same time! I am married to a brilliant, wonderful man who has been my best friend since we first met. I feel lucky to be where I am.

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